Sunday, September 15, 2013

A summary of notable kicking during the third week of the 2013 college football season: Senior kicker Griffin Thomas made five field goals (50, 42, 44, 26 & 20 yards), with last one winning the game in the second overtime, in Jacksonville State's 24-21 win over North Alabama.

“It was a busy night to say the least, but it turned out good from our
perspective. The overtime was pretty nerve-wracking, but
we were already down there in field goal position. You know you’re going
to get a chance to kick it, so you’re obviously ready for that. We
practiced a lot of situational stuff like that. It wasn’t just like
practice, but it kind of was.”

Freshman kicker Jordan Remsza's 39 yard field goal with 7:15 remaining proved to be the winner in Ripon College's 22-20 win over Carroll.

Senior kicker Chris Bowell hit a key 56 yard field goal in the fourth quarter as Rice won 23-14 over Kansas.

"It's just another kick, and that's how I approach it every time. My line does a great job. They make a great wall for me to
do my part. We're really clicking right now."

"The kicker position is crazy. Coming into this week's
game I had just had my worse ever week of practice in which I missed a
lot of big kicks. Even though this was extremely frustrating I knew how
important it was for a kicker to have a short memory and so I really
tried hard to remain focused and to keep my head up and stay confident
in my ability to make kicks.
When it came time to make the kick I didn't feel nervous at all. I
think this is because my coaches and I try to put myself in
nerve-wracking situations during practice so that come game time I would
be ready. It totally paid off and I am grateful for the confidence my
coaches have in me and it feels great to help the team win a big game.
What I learned this week is confidence is key for a kicker!"

Senior kicker Jordan Day made a 30 yarder (his fourth field goal on the day) with 25 seconds left in the game to lift Gardner-Webb 12-10 over Richmond.

“I
just tried to embrace the pressure and that makes me focus a little bit
more. Recognizing the importance of it (the moment) and
respecting that was key. You count on everyone to do their job and
that’s what happened. Everyone did their job from the snap, to the hold
and to the blocks. In the end we ended up getting the W.”

Junior kicker Andrew Franks
hit a school record five field goals, including a school
record-tying 50-yarder and a 37-yarder with 1:04 remaining, to give Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute a 24-21
win over Alfred University.

"Honestly, the last kick felt just like any of my other kicks
during the game. The hardest kick of the game was the first field goal since it
was the first of the year. But after that first kick, everything felt
great. I have a great holder and snapper, and from them I am very
confident in my ability to convert field goals. I think the support of
my team, and the confidence they have in me makes a game winning kick
just another PAT in my eyes."

"The game was intense since the beginning. Down by 21
in the 1st quarter was not exactly what we had planned, but after a
while as a team we settled in and towards the middle of the 3rd quarter,
both of my snappers, Ramon Lopez and Joshua Beal, approached me and
told me it could come down to special teams making a big play at the end
of the game. So, I began just to take mental reps and take deep
breaths here and there when I would get too anxious. In the 4th
quarter, as we were marching down the field I was continuing doing
mental reps and just picturing the ball go in. 'If you think positive
things, good things will happen,' those were the words Joshua kept on
telling me. After the kick went through it was a blessing to be able to
help my team come up on top, but our perseverance was amazing as a team.
And I was excited because my mom surprised me at the game and she got
to experience it first hand, instead of on TV. I just give a lot of
credit to my coaches and teammates for believing in me."

If we missed someone that should be on the above list, please let us know!